


Healing

by BrotherWhy



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, Eating Disorders, Friendship, Healing, Hope, Hopeful Ending, Love, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Optimism, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 11:33:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18991825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrotherWhy/pseuds/BrotherWhy
Summary: The moment Yami had left, Kaiba’s broken soul burst into a thousand pieces. Letting himself fall into the abyss of his mental health, he lost his will to live. But at some point there is only a way back up again. And Kaiba isn’t alone.This one-shot is part of the famous Art-Monday - topic: "Farewell"





	Healing

**Author's Note:**

> If you struggle with any kind of mental health issues, this one-shot may be hard to read for you (especially depression and bpd) but since the title of this little thing is ‘healing’, be prepared for character development and a lot of hope and optimism at the end.  
> Enjoy. Maybe it will at least help you half as much as it helped me.
> 
> PS: Please forgive me for my weird English, since no one had edited this.

It was dark. 

The light had gone out hours ago, but Kaiba was too exhausted to get up and take some steps to active the motion detector again. 

What was the point, anyway?

He sat in his office, alone, in the middle of the night. 

And he didn’t care. 

 

The CEO had already finished his meeting in the late evening and then had worked on his project, like every day. 

He stared at his laptop. 

It wouldn’t work. 

Kaiba clenched his fists. Why wouldn’t it work?

 

He had spent two years after this…  _ incident _ to develop this technique, to bring him back. 

But two minutes ago he had realised his calculations were wrong. 

He was wrong. 

Seto Kaiba was wrong. 

 

The young man began to sweat. Breathing heavily, he typed different formulas into the programm. 

He had been so close, this couldn’t be true. 

Kaiba almost had finished the construction plan for the portal. 

But it seemed like he had forgotten one detail, and now everything wasn’t working anymore. 

 

“No…” he whispered, feeling the tears gather up in his eyes. 

Seto Kaiba couldn’t make it work. 

He was a loser. 

He was a disgusting little piece of shit who couldn’t manage to bring the Pharaoh back. 

Kaiba swallowed. 

 

At the beginning, Mokuba and even the stupid crew of friends had supported him in his work. And then, one after another, they had turned away. They hadn’t believed in him. 

These stupid idiots had just moved on with life, as if nothing had happened.

Even his little brother had tried to convince Kaiba to give up. 

But he couldn’t. 

He was Seto Kaiba. 

And he needed Yami back. 

 

The first tears landed on the keyboard of his laptop. 

It was all for nothing. His project didn’t work. The Pharaoh wouldn't return. 

Exhaling shakily, Kaiba felt the by now well-known pain flood him completely. A thick, hot wave built up in his chest and spread down his arms and legs.

It felt like something was trying to rip his thorax open. 

It always felt like that. 

 

“FUCK!”

The CEO watched his laptop hitting the opposite wall and breaking into innumerable pieces. 

He needed air. 

Why couldn’t he breathe?

Gripping the collar of his shirt tightly, he just tore open the first buttons. 

It didn’t help. 

Kaiba’s breathing became even faster. Weak legs carried him from the couch to his desk. The motion detector activated and the blinding light was stinging in his eyes.

When he tried to open the first drawer of his desk, his vision blurred. 

He was now in full panic mode. 

Blinking multiple times, Kaiba managed to open the drawer and searched with rough movements for his tool of relief. 

The CEO took a deep breath and looked at the little pocket knife in his hands. 

The pain was now consuming him entirely.

It felt like being burned alive. 

Kaiba barely managed to roll up his sleeve. He stared at his forearm, which was by now completely covered in scars and cuts. Most of them were fresh and very, very deep. 

He didn’t care. 

When the cool blade hit his skin and cut it open, Kaiba closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A knock on the door woke the CEO. Blinking, he tried to sort himself and got up from the ground. 

He must have fallen asleep on the cold floor. His body felt as icy as death itself. 

When he looked around, Kaiba cursed. The rest of his laptop was still scattered across the room and there was blood on the floor and on his white sleeve. 

Fuck. 

“Mr. Kaiba?”

The young man bit his lip. 

His secretary couldn’t see him like that. 

Why was she even here?   
Was it morning already?

How long had he been sleeping?

Looking on his phone, he swallowed. 

12 missing calls and 6 messages from Mokuba. 

“Mr. Kaiba, are you okay?”

“Yes, I am. Leave me alone!”

“Mr. Kaiba… you have a meeting in 20 minutes…”

“Just cancel it.”

“I’m sorry?”   
“Cancel the goddamn meeting. I have other things to do.”

His words sounded angrier that he had intended, but Kaiba didn’t care. 

He felt so numb. 

“...Of course, Mr. Kaiba.”

The CEO waited until her footsteps grew silent in the distance, before he unlocked his screen.

 

**22:25 Hey Seto, I just wanted to hear how you’re doing?**

**23:10 I thought maybe we could talk about things when you’re coming home?**

**00:30 Seto?**

**01:04 Seto, are you okay? Why are you not answering your phone??**

**01:13 Seto, please come home.**

**02:55 Please**

 

Kaiba swallowed dryly. 

Fuck. This was bad. This was very, very bad. 

With a shaking hand, Kaiba hit redial.

It only rang once before Mokuba picked up. 

“Seto!?”

“Hey..”

“Oh my God, are you okay? I am on my way to the office!”

“What… why? No, stay home, everything is fine!”

“WHY? Because you didn’t answer your phone!”

Kaiba exhaled shakily. 

“I’m sorry, I fell asleep. Everything is fine.”

He could hear the engine stop on the other end of the phone. 

“Where are you?” he asked, beginning to sweat. 

“Still in the garage at home. But Isono is ready to get me to you.” His little brother sounded resigned. 

The CEO sighed in relief. 

“Seto. Come home.”

Kaiba could hear the tears of desperation in his brother’s voice. 

It broke his heart. 

 

Why was Kaiba like that? Where was the Seto Kaiba who took care of his sibling, no matter what? Who managed to protect Mokuba from everything bad, who managed to take over Kaiba Corp? Who was this strong, young man?

_ Dead _ , he thought bitterly.

Now, Kaiba was just a burden for his brother. Mokuba was constantly worried - everyday, every night, he was worried. 

And this was all Kaiba’s fault. 

The CEO felt panic creeping up his body. 

He was a failure. A loser. 

Kaiba swallowed again, looking at the mess in his office. 

“Why?” he finally answered, barely whispering. 

“What do you mean?” Mokuba sounded confused. 

“Why do you want me to come home?”

Silence. 

Kaiba almost thought the line had been disconnected, when suddenly Mokuba spoke again.

“Because I love you and I need you, Seto.”

 

The brunet closed his eyes. By now, his whole body was shaking and he could feel the tears burning in his eyes again. 

He hated crying. He hated how his body was behaving. He hated everything. 

And most of all, he hated himself. 

He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve the love from Mokuba, or from anyone. 

He didn’t deserve to be loved. 

An invisible knife stabbed through his heart.

“Please Seto. Just come home.” 

Kaiba could hear his little brother crying now.    
This was all his fault. 

Mokuba suffered because of him. 

Exhaling slowly, Kaiba tried to compose himself. 

“Okay.”

The CEO ended the call and grabbed his knife. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kaiba blinked. 

He didn’t know where he was. 

He was sitting in his car, driving, but he couldn’t recognise the road. 

When did he get into the car?

He couldn’t remember. 

He just knew, that there had been pain.

The CEO sighed. He was used to this by now. Episodes of the day he just couldn’t remember. As if a stranger was controlling his body. 

Sometimes, it took him hours to get home, because he just drove without thinking. 

Kaiba started his navigation system and followed the instructions go get home. 

By now, the road was almost empty and it was still early in the morning. 

 

He accelerated. 

Staring on the street, his eyes became heavy. 

In the next moment, he stepped on the brake. 

The car made a discomforting squeaking sound and finally stopped, only a few centimeters before it would have hit the car in front of Kaiba. 

He hadn’t seen the line of waiting cars at the entrance of Domino City. 

He could have died. 

_ Maybe this would have been better after all, _ he thought bitterly. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When Kaiba entered the hallway, he stopped in his motions. 

Staring at the shoes in the shelf next to him, he frowned. 

“Mokuba?”

His younger brother turned around the corner and almost ran him over. 

The child was embracing him, holding onto Kaiba for his dear life and crying like a river. 

Kaiba felt numb. 

This was all his fault. 

He patted Mokuba’s head almost absently, when a movement in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. 

Next to the stairs, arms crossed, stood Yami!...

Kaiba blinked.

No. It wasn’t Yami. 

It was just Yugi. 

“God, you look even worse than Mokuba had described it…”

“What the fuck are  _ you  _ doing here?” the CEO hissed. 

Mokuba lifted his head, his eyes red and puffy. 

“I was so afraid, Seto. I called him.”

Fuck. This was even more awful than Kaiba had expected. 

“We need to talk, Kaiba.” Yugi stated seriously.

“Fuck off.”

A small fist landed in the CEO’s stomach and he cursed. 

“Be nice to him, Seto! He was there for me!”

Now his little brother sounded really offended. 

Kaiba took a step backwards. 

Anger was rising up in him, pulsing through his veins.    
_ ‘Because you weren’t there’, _ Kaiba finished Mokuba’s sentence in his mind. 

Clenching his fists, the brunet looked from the child to the teenager and back.

 

“Kaiba…”, Yugi began to speak again, “We really should talk about things.”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

Kaiba’s voice was cold as ice.

Mokuba took a step backwards to stand next to Yugi, and crossed his arms. 

The CEO swallowed. 

Yugi ignored his statement. 

“We really think you should get help.”

“What!?”

“Help. Professional help. From a counselor.”

Kaiba stared at him incredulously, watching Mokuba nod. 

“Say that again.” The man’s voice sounded threatening by now.

“Yami would have wanted you to seek help.”

...

“Get out of my house.”

“Kaiba…”

“I said…”

“Seto, but…”

“Shut up!”

Silence.

Mokuba stared at him with wide eyes. First, he lowered his arms, then his head. Tears were falling on the floor. 

Fuck.

 

Kaiba bit the inside of his cheek so hard, it started bleeding. 

He hated himself so much. He just wanted to cut his arms open and end everything. 

The CEO stood in the hallway, watching his little brother shaking with tears. He knew he should approach him, cuddle him, say sorry and promise him that everything is going to be okay. 

But his body didn’t react. 

He just stood there and stared at him. 

In the next moment, Yugi was on Mokuba’s side, hugging him, patting his head, whispering reassuring words in his ear. 

It felt like the last petal of the rose inside Kaiba’s soul had fallen. 

He was a danger for his brother. 

It ripped him in two. 

Grabbing his keys, he turned around and left the building, not hearing the other two boys calling his name. 

 

\------------------------------

 

Faster.   
Kaiba needed to drive faster. 

Stepping on the gas pedal, he tried to control his sobbing. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably. 

When he tightened the grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turned white. 

Faster.

His vision blurred because of the hot tears in his eyes, but he just didn’t care anymore. 

Kaiba had lost Yami. And now he had lost the only one who loved him. 

He had lost his little brother. 

He couldn’t come back. He was a danger to him. 

Faster.

The pain in his chest tried to rip his thorax open, scratching the inside of his organs, burning him completely, constricting his throat. 

It was too much.    
Seto Kaiba couldn’t take it anymore. 

The landscape flew past him, faster and faster, until it merged into a chaos of colours. 

Exhaling slowly, the young man closed his eyes. 

_ “Kaiba.” _

The CEO frowned at the voice. Opening his eyes again, he was blinded by a strange, golden light. 

In the middle of the road, in the center of the shining light, stood Yami. 

Kaiba stepped on the brake. 

Everything went dark. 

 

\---------------------------------

 

Muffled sounds bubbled under the surface of reality. At first it was just a mix of blurred tones, but with time, the words became clearer and clearer.

“Good that you’re here Mr. Kaiba, we…”

“What’s wrong with him? Will he be okay?”

“It’s hard to tell at the moment, we -”

“But what’s wrong with him? Why doesn’t he wake up!?”   
“Mr. Kaiba, we have to run some tests and -”

“But he has to be okay! I need him! What -”

“Mokuba, it’s okay, we -”

“No Yugi, nothing’s okay! What if he doesn’t wake up again!?”

The sound of a heartbreaking sob filled the room. 

“Hey, sshh. I’m here. He will be okay. He’s Seto Kaiba after all. He won’t leave you.”

“But he  _ had  _ left me…”

Silence. 

“Mr. Kaiba, would you tell us again in what state your brother was when you found him?”

“I don’t know… We headed after him, Isono was driving and… and then we saw some… kind of lightning? And… And then… then his car just stood on the side of the road, parked…”

Mokuba’s voice was interrupted by his sobbings. 

“And then?”

“And then I got out of the car and… and he was just unconsciousness behind the steering wheel, nothing more!”

“No sign of an accident?”

“No, nothing! He must have parked the car before he…”

His voice broke. 

 

Kaiba swallowed. He hadn’t open his eyes yet, but the words and the sound of his little brother’s desperation already had hit his heart. 

He had left Mokuba. 

He had disappointed him. 

The alarm of the monitors started beeping. 

“Seto!?”

“Please wait outside, we will look after him.”

“But-”

“Mokuba, come with me. He needs to rest.”

“Seto!”

Kaiba blinked. 

He  could see the frame of Yugi grabbing Mokuba’s hand just before a nurse blocked his sight. 

“Mr. Kaiba, how are you feeling?”

Kaiba stared at her with dead eyes. His body felt completely numb, besides the burning pain in his chest back at its full power again. 

“Pain.”

The nurse frowned and turned to a young man next to her, probably a doctor. 

“Where is the pain, Mr. Kaiba?”

The CEO growned. 

“Just give me the damn painkillers.”

The physician started sweating. 

“M-Mr. Kaiba, I can’t give you any-”

“I have a headache!”

“Oh… Okay. So… just a headache?”

“Hmm.”

“Okay. Well, that could be because of your-”

Kaiba silenced him with one glance. 

The staff looked at each other in confusion, before everybody left the room.    
Kaiba sighed. 

 

Silence, after all.

Sitting up, he looked around. There were multiple monitors, an infusion stand, some documents…

He stared at the line leading to his vein. 

Why wasn’t he dead?

He just wanted to be dead. 

The image of Yami standing in a shining ball of light flickered before his eyes and he swallowed dryly. 

He had almost forgot that happened. 

Why was he there? Was he really there? Was he just… a hallucination?

The door opened again and Yugi entered - alone. 

“Where’s Mokuba?”

The teenager drew closer and sat down on a chair next to Kaiba’s bed. 

“He fell asleep from exhaustion on the couch in the waiting area. Isono and the others are with him.”

Kaiba stared at him.

“The others?”

“Yes. My friends.”

Groaning, the CEO let his head sink.

 

There was a moment of silence, before Yugi spoke again.

“He was there, wasn’t he?”

Kaiba looked up so quick, his head started to spin. 

“What?”

Yugi watched him with worried eyes.

“Yami. He was there, am I right? You saw him.”

The brunet clenched his fists. 

“How do you know?”

Sighing, Yugi looked up at the ceiling. 

“It was obvious what you were going to do. That’s why we head after you. But then, only minutes later, we found your car neatly parked on the side of the road - after a strange lighting had cut through the sky.”

Kaiba huffed. 

“What do you mean, what I was going to do?”

The King of Games hesitated for a moment, before he looked Kaiba straight into the eye.

“You were going to kill yourself.”

 

Silence. 

 

The taller man sat there, fists shaking in anger and embarrassment as he was staring on the blanket. “You have no idea…”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

Kaiba looked up. He sensed that Yugi fixated something specific, and when he followed his gaze, he realised with a jolt, that his own arms were wrapped up in bandages.

Tearing the blanket closer, he let his head sink even more. 

Silence filled the room again. It was windy and almost dark outside. Slim twigs brushed against the window. They both listened to that sound for a while.

When a small hand found its way on Kaiba’s knee, he jerked. 

“I’m sorry… I…”

Yugi looked distressed. He exhaled slowly and spoke again.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to disturb you… I just wanted to show you something.”

 

Kaiba frowned. Lifting his head just a few inches so that he could stare through his bangs, he watched Yugi roll up his sleeve. 

When he finished, the teenager turned his arm and showed it to Kaiba. 

Thin, delicate lines of scars were placed on the inner side of Yugi’s forearm, barely visible. 

The CEO stared at it, unable to move or say anything. 

Finally, Yugi sighed and rolled his sleeve down again, leaning back. 

“You’re right. I know nothing. I have no idea how you’re feeling or why you can’t stop thinking about the Pharaoh. Why you are so obsessed with him. And what is wrong with your family. I know nothing. But maybe, I just know a bit more than the others.”

 

Kaiba swallowed.

“It didn’t work.”

“Hmm?”

“I can’t bring him back. The portal isn’t working.”

Thick tears gathered up in his eyes again and Kaiba wondered why there were still some left. 

Yugi sighed. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. I am really sorry. I know you were working hard on it. Maybe too hard…”

Kaiba didn’t answer, so the teenager continued. 

“I mean you weren’t eating anything. How much weight did you loose? You are so skinny. And your skin… looks kinda grey. You stopped taking care of yourself. There are articles on the internet, you know. People saw that you were in a bad shape at meetings. Mokuba is worried. We all are very worried.”

The CEO snorted sarcastically. 

“Don’t lie to me, Mutou.”

When Kaiba looked up again, Yugi watched him with old, sad eyes. 

“I’m not. We  _ are  _ worried.”

“...Why?”

“I don’t know. I mean you’re an asshole, but Yami liked you, so…,” Yugi shrugged. 

“I miss him.”, the brunet whispered.

“...But.. why? You two were rivals…”

Kaiba swallowed. 

“I don’t know.”

Embarrassment was overwhelming the CEO. 

“Why am I even talking to you? Just fuck off.”

The King of Games chuckled.

“Ah, there you are.”

When he didn’t move, Kaiba looked up and stared at him.

“I said… fuck off.”

“Or what? You’ll leave again?”

Yugi looked deadly serious by now. 

“Don’t you dare talking to me like that!” 

Anger was gripping Kaiba’s soul, but the younger man seemed unimpressed. 

“Because I’m just a dumb kid? Why do you hate me, Kaiba? Is it because I’ve beat you at the duel ground? Is it because you don’t like my friends? Or is it because I look like a man you-”

“STOP!”

Kaiba was breathing heavily, his whole arms were shaking. Sweat was shining on his forehead. His whole body was screaming in pain. 

Yugi leaned forwards.

“Tell me what you feel.”

“Leave me alone!”

“Kaiba, I want to help you. Tell me how you feel.”

“I don’t want your help!”

“But you need my help. And Yami teached me how to help people. So-”

“Just fuck off or…!”

“Stop threatening me. You need to compose yourself! What the fuck were you thinking?”

Yugi got up and crossed his arms.

“You wanted to fucking kill yourself. With a car. What if you would have killed other people with your stupid actions? What if you would have killed a family, kids, anybody out there on the road!? That was fucking stupid! You left Mokuba behind, just because you think you’re not worth it and that he would feel better without you. You know what, you smartass? Exceptionally, this isn’t about you. Nobody cares what the stupid voice in your head is saying. Mokuba loves you and he needs you and you have to fucking get yourself together and be there for him!”

Yugi was almost shouting the last words as he stood there, towering over the other man.

Kaiba’s head had sunk on his chest and small tears were dripping on the blanket. 

Yugi was right.

He had to be there for his brother, but he was too weak. 

He was too weak for everything. 

He had disappointed Mokuba, he had hurt him. He was a danger. 

“Look at me.”

Kaiba didn’t react.

 

In the next moment, Yugi grabbed the CEO’s chin, ignoring his wincing and stared him right into the eye.

“Stop. Just stop. No matter what these voices in your head are saying, you have to get back on track to be there for Mokuba. There is no other way.”

“I want do be dead.”

Kaiba thought this sentence would surprise the teenager, but it didn’t. 

“I know. I know how it feels. And I’m sorry. But Mokuba needs you. He had lost his parents, he can’t lose you, too.”

The brunet started sobbing.

“But I’m a burden to him.”

“No. No you’re not. Your gravestone would be a burden. But not you.”

Yugi slowly sat down next to the shaking body on the bed.

“It hurts.”

Kaiba was clawing at his own chest, exhaling shakily.

“It feels like something hot wants to rip me open from the inside. Sometimes I just want to cut my chest open to let it out-”

His grip became tighter, before he relaxed again.

“...and sometimes I’m afraid the rest of my soul would pour out of the holes the thing made and then there’s nothing left of me.”

Kaiba placed is other hand on his chest as he was trying to hold it together.

Then, he started sobbing again.

Small arms wrapped themselves around Kaiba’s figure. Yugi was hugging him, drawing close and Kaiba could see the light reflecting in the teenager’s tears. 

At first, Kaiba’s body was shaking uncontrollably, trying to avoid the touch, trying to flee, to jump, to fight, but Yugi held him close, held him until the shaking slowly eased out and finally stopped.

They both sat there for a while and sobbed quietly, before Yugi looked up again to meet Kaiba’s gaze.

“I’m so sorry that I can’t take away your pain. But I’m here for you. You’re not alone. You have Mokuba and me and the others, although you don’t like them - they’re here for you. And we care about you. We’ll work through it.”

Shivering from the cold and exhaustion, Kaiba stared into the crimson eyes he missed so much.

He couldn’t think anymore. He felt numb and hollow and dead. 

The only thing he managed to do, was nodding slightly.

 

\--------------------------------------------

 

The next days passed by.  Kaiba had lost his sense of time. He didn’t know how long he stayed at the hospital already - and he just didn’t care.    
Mokuba was around almost the whole time, but Yugi managed to convince the child to at least sleep in an extra bed next to Kaiba and not on the chair. Yugi visited very often to take care of Mokuba and the young man was grateful for that. 

He just wanted that his little brother was okay. 

The doctors couldn’t find any reasons for his sudden unconsciousness and so they let Kaiba go home. 

 

The CEO was packing his bags with the help of Mokuba when the door opened and Yugi entered. 

“Yugi!”

The little Kaiba jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. 

“Hey Mokuba. Nice to see you. You’re leaving?”

Kaiba nodded without looking up, folding his clothes and placing them into the big bag on the bed. 

The King of Games scratched the back of his head, obviously nervous.

“Hey uhm… I just wondered… maybe you’ll need some help at home?”

The CEO froze in his movement and stared at him.

“What?”

“You know, with Mokuba and the house and…”

“No, thank you, I have staff for this.”

Mokuba was looking from one to the other with big eyes.

“You want to visit us, Yugi?”   
“Yes. If you want me to.”

The child made a squeaking sound and hugged him again.

“I would love that! We could play video games all day! You could stay the night! It would be so much fun! Wait, I’ll ask Isono if we could pick up your bags at your house and then..” He was out of the door before he finished his sentence.

Kaiba clenched his fists.

“We don’t need your help.”

“I know. But Mokuba wants me to come over so…” Yugi shrugged and gave him a shy grin.

“And that is the only reason.”

The teenager sighed. “I said I am here for you. And I meant it. So let me be there for you.”

Kaiba crossed his arms in defension.

“I don’t need you, I’m fine.”

“Are you?”

“Yes!”

Yugi tilted his head.

“Okay.”

And with that, the King of Games turned around and walked after Mokuba.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

The day passed by quickly. They had picked up Yugi’s stuff from the Game shop, which was currently closed. Kaiba wondered why it remained closed, but he had no energy to ask. To be honest, he didn’t care much. 

The three spent the day watching films and playing video games, although Kaiba didn’t participate much. He also didn’t eat anything of the pizza they ordered and almost slipped again in his selbst-hate mode when he saw the worry in Mokuba’s eyes. 

He just couldn’t eat. 

He couldn’t.

 

After a couple of more hours, the little kid fell asleep on the couch between Yugi and Kaiba, and neither of them dared to move in fear of waking him up.

Suddenly, the TV switched itself of and they sat in the dark. 

“So… how are you?” Yugi whispered after a while.

Kaiba swallowed.

“I don’t know.”

Silence.

“You want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Silence.

When Mokuba twitched and whimpered in his dreams, Kaiba got up to carry him upstairs into bed. The CEO stayed at his bedside for a few minutes, just watching him, ignoring the waves of guilt spreading through his limbs, before he went downstairs again.

 

It was so dark, that Kaiba couldn't see anything at first, but he also didn’t want to switch the blinding light on. 

“Mutou?”

When Yugi didn’t answer him, the young man assumed he had fallen asleep. 

Quietly walking towards the couch to grab his phone, he frowned.

The small figure of Yugi was still sitting on the sofa, head between his knees, hugging his legs.

“...Are you okay?” Kaiba whispered, panicking slightly.

Yugi shook his head.

The older man swallowed nervously, before he slowly sat down next to him.

“What’s wrong?”

Yugi sobbed. He turned around and leaned into Kaiba, who flinched.

Sweating, Kaiba patted his shoulder.

“I miss him.”

“Hm?”

“Yami. I miss him.” Yugi’s voice was hoarse.

 

Kaiba swallowed again.

He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know what to do. It was confusing and overwhelming.

And the worst part was, that he felt the exact same pain in his chest.

Lifting his head, Yugi looked at him with big, puffy eyes.

“I lost my parents and I lost Yami. I can’t lose you, too.”

 

Kaiba frowned.

“You don’t even like me.”

“That’s not true.”

“But everyone hates me because…”

“Because what?” Yugi seemed suddenly interested.

“Because I’m an asshole.” Kaiba mumbled.

Yugi slowly drew closer, this time very carefully to not disturb the taller one, before he leaned his head against his shoulder.

_ He looks so much like Yami _ , Kaiba thought, feeling a lump building in his throat.

“You just think that because you hate yourself. You think because you hate yourself, everybody hates you, but that isn’t true. Mokuba loves you. And Yami liked you. And I do.”

“He did?”

Yugi rolled his eyes before he continued.

“Your self hate tells you you’re not worth it, that you don’t deserve love. But that isn’t true. Everyone deserves love.”

“Even bad people?”

“Shut up, know-it-all.”

Kaiba almost smirked.

“What I wanted to say was… everyone deserves love. But people struggle loving you because of your self hate. Because of your mean behaviour. I know that you only act like this so that no one can see the truth. But there are so many people that would find it easier to love you when they would know…”

Kaiba frowned.

“I don’t need people to love me. I’m fine. I always was fine, even though no one loved me.”

Yugi looked up at him.

“You really think nobody had loved you?”

The CEO laughed bitterly.

“I know it.”

“What about your parents?”

“They died.”

“But Mokuba…”

“Mokuba was way too young.”

Yugi sighed in surrender.

“Okay.”

They sat in silence for a while.

 

“So, what do you think I should do?” Kaiba mumbled, clearly not satisfied to ask the teenager such a question.

Yugi smiled warmly.

“You need to eat properly. And shower. And workout. And have daily rituals.”

“Mhh.”

“You need to work less and concentrate on your family. You need to talk about things. You need to find out what’s wrong and what you need.”

“Mhhh.”

“And the most important thing is -”

Yugi placed one small and on the back of Kaiba’s, who tensed immediately.

“You need to love and forgive yourself.”

Kaiba snorted.

“Okay, this is next level bullshit.”

The smaller one stared at him, before he got up.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just a dumb kid, what do I know?”

“That wasn’t what I was saying…”

“No, of course not. Then you would have to be honest with me. But I’m not worth it, right? I’m not him.”

Kaiba got up, too, to cross his arms in front of him.

“You should go to bed.”

“Yes, probably.”

No one moved.

 

“Kaiba, you need to trust me, if this should work.”

“What is ‘ _ this’ _ ?”

Yugi blinked in confusion.

“This is your… healing.”

The CEO laughed again.

“Just go to bed, Mutou. No one can  _ ‘heal’ _ me.”

“Yami had wanted this.”

“...What!?”

The teen crossed his arms to mirror Kaiba’s gesture.

“He wanted me to take care of you. He wanted that you… that you can heal… one day…”

“But he had left us, so what’s the point?!” Kaiba lost his patience. “He’s gone and now there are only both of us, mentally sick pieces of shit!”

Yugi let his head sink. He was shaking slightly but tried his best to compose himself.

 

Suddenly, he spoke again.

“That’s the way he chose. I just want him to be happy. And you have to let him go, too. You have to stop, you have to give up, you have to stop living in the past.”   
“Stop telling me what I have to do! You don’t know anything about me or my past!”

“Then tell me! Tell me about your past, tell me about Gozaburo!”

 

A loud, crashing noise filled the room. 

Yugi stood there, panting heavily, eyes wide in shock. 

Kaiba stood there, panting heavily, eyes wide in shock. 

 

Behind Yugi, on the floor, were the shards of a small vase which had stood on the table seconds ago. 

“I… I’m sorry… I…”, the brunet stuttered.

Yugi slowly took a few steps backwards.

“Why did you say his name!?” Kaiba hissed in desperation, eyes filled with tears. 

 

“Seto…?” A very tired Mokuba stood in the door and stared at the shards on the floor.

Fuck.

“Hey… Hey what are you doing here? It’s so late already…” Kaiba whispered as he took some steps towards his little brother.

“What were  _ you _ doing?” 

“Nothing...I…”

“Why do you hate Yugi?”

Kaiba frowned. “What?”

Mokuba walked next to the teenager, who was still looking terrified, and took his hand.

“I want Yugi to stay with us. He’s alone and we’re alone.”   
The King of Games swallowed.

“No… no it’s okay…”

Kaiba stared at the both of them, unable to move. 

 

He had done it again. He had let is anger won.

He was a danger for the others. He was a danger. That’s why Yugi didn’t want to stay. 

Panicking, Kaiba took a few steps backwards in the direction of the hallway.

When Yugi looked up, their eyes met for a second. In the next moment, the teenager became very calm.

“Kaiba. Don’t.”

Breathing faster, the CEO stared at him with wide eyes.

“Kaiba. No. It’s okay. Everything is okay.” Yugi began to slowly approach him, hands held in front of his body in defense.

“Seto?”

Kaiba blinked when his vision blurred. 

He opened and closed his eyes multiple times, but he couldn’t see anything.

_ “Kaiba.” _ a familiar voice rushed through his ears. 

_ “Come here. _ ”

In the next moment, Kaiba’s lifeless body hit the floor. 

 

\-----------------------------------------------------

 

When he blinked again, his vision turned clearer. 

But instead of his hallway, he could see something different.

A person. 

A Pharaoh.

“What the…”

Kaiba tried to stand up, but Yami hold his shoulders into place.

“No. You stay here.”

The CEO stared at him, unable to speak. 

 

It was him. It was Yami.   
Wearing his Pharaoh’s garment, the young man looked at him angrily. There was nothing else around them, just warm, blending light.

Kaiba tried his best to take in Yami’s full vision. His hair, his charismatic face, his beautiful sparkling crimson eyes, his muscular chest and arms, his…

A stinging pain hit him right in the face. 

Holding his cheek, Kaiba stared at the other man in disbelief. 

“What the fuck!?”

“Exactly! What the fuck? What the fuck do you think you’re doing there? What was your plan, getting into the car and hitting the next fucking tree like you tried the last time? Did you think I would let you die this time? What is wrong with you!?”   
The dark majestic voice was echoing through the dimension. 

Kaiba suddenly felt very small.

Swallowing, he searched for something to say.

“I… I don’t want to live anymore. I want to… I want to be with you!”

Yami closed his eyes for a moment, before he looked at him again. Soft, warm hands cupped Kaiba’s face as he drew closer. 

Yami was close. 

So close.

 

“I won’t let you kill yourself. And I won’t come back.”

“But why?” The CEO’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Because people need you. And the Gods need me.”

“Fuck them. All of them!”

Yami chuckled.

“No. Mokuba needs you. And you know that. And the Gods need me.”

“But I need you, too! And Mutou!”

“His name is Yugi, you know.”

“Yugi needs you, too.”

Yami sighed.

“Yugi knows what my destiny is. He knew it from the very beginning. He misses me and I miss him, but he’s fine without me.”   
“I’m not fine without you. I… I couldn’t even say goodbye to you.”

Kaiba reached out to place a hand on Yami’s cheek, as if to see if he was really there.

“Now you can.”

“No!”

The Pharaoh smiled sadly.

 

“Kaiba. I won’t come back. My life is here. And you can’t be here, because you are needed and loved there.”

“But there must be something I could do…” the brunet whispered, desperation almost eating him alive.

Yami nodded.    
“There is. You can do something.”

Kaiba stared at him with wide eyes. “Everything! I would do everything!”

Cupping his face again, Yami leaned in to place a soft kiss on Kaiba’s forehead. 

“I need you to be strong for me. I need you to take care of yourself, I need you to watch for the others. And I need you to love yourself, because I can’t be there to do it.”

The CEO blinked, trying to process what the other man had just said. 

“W-What?”

In the next moment, his vision began to blur again.

“I am always with you, don’t forget that, Seto. And I see all the Seto’s from here, and it breaks my heart to see them. You need to forgive yourself. You need to be there for your inner child, just the way you need to be there for Mokuba. You can do it, baby. I know you can do it. You have to say farewell to the past.”

Kaiba was shaking his head, holding onto Yami’s figure for his dear life, but his vision swam violently. 

“No! No, please don’t leave me! Don’t leave me again! YAMI!”

When Kaiba blinked again, Yami’s form became smaller, and suddenly turned into Yugi.

“Are you okay?”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The next days passed by in a monotonous grey bubble of numbness. Yugi stayed at the mansion to take care of Mokuba - and this was necessary, since Kaiba couldn’t leave the bed anymore. The others wanted him to see a doctor again, but he refused. 

The only time he got up, was to get to the toilet and back to bed.

He asked the others to give him space. 

Seto Kaiba was bathing heavily in his self-pity. 

Besides, moving did hurt him physically. He didn’t know why, but everything seems to be sore. It hurt to get up, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to live. 

What was the point?

He even didn’t have the energy to get up and get his knife to hurt himself.

 

 

It was late in the afternoon when someone knocked on his door again.

“No.”

The door opened anyway.

Groaning, Kaiba stared at the slender figure of Yugi in the doorframe. 

“The others are coming around. Jou, Anzu, Shizuka, Mai, Otogi and Tristan. Mokuba invited them. If you don’t want me to tell them, especially Jou, that you’re lying here and prefer being miserable, you better get under the shower and come downstairs.”

“I’ll pass.” Kaiba stared at the ceiling again.

“So you want me to-”

“Yugi, just leave me alone! You have no idea how hard it is to move and-”

“You called me Yugi.”

“What?”

The King of Games grinned at him.

“Nothing. And I know how hard it is. I exactly know it. And now it seems like I’m the asshole here. But I don’t care. You have to get up.”

“No I don’t.”

“So you’re disappointing Yami?”

Kaiba sat up immediately.

“What do you…”

Yugi turned around. 

“You know exactly what I mean. I’m not dumb, remember? Shower. Clothes. Downstairs.”

In the next moment, he was gone. 

 

Staring at the closed door, Kaiba swallowed. 

Why did Yugi know about their conversation?

Looking outside the window, he sighed. 

He didn’t want to disappoint Yami. 

He really didn’t. 

_ He’s probably mad at me again, _ Kaiba thought, staring at the mirror on the opposite wall of his bed. 

He had lost so much weight, he couldn’t look at himself anymore. 

Slowly, very slowly, Kaiba placed both feet on the ground and got up. It hurt. All his muscles were screaming in agony, but he finally made it to the bathroom and under the shower. 

 

 

When Kaiba slowly walked down the stairs, he could hear some familiar voices from the living room. 

He hated this.

He just wanted go back to bed. 

Sighing, the CEO entered the room.    
“Seto! You’re here!” Mokuba screamed and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. 

Kaiba swallowed and patted his head, before he watched the others who were sitting on the couch. They were all here - like Yugi had mentioned. Tristan, Otogi, Shizuka, Anzu, Mai and the idiot. 

God, Kaiba hated the idiot. 

The room had went silent when he entered, and now they were all staring at each other nervously.

This was great.

“Hey what’s up man, looking good!” Tristan began to chat, a small amount of sweat shining on his forehead. 

Kaiba groaned. 

“No, I’m not. Just go on everybody. I don’t want to see you or talk to any of you,anyway, so just… continue with what you were doing.” 

Mokuba was still hugging him. 

“I’m so glad you’re here.”, the little boy whispered, causing Kaiba’s throat to grew tight.

“Thank Mutou, not me.” he mumbled as an answer. When he looked up to meet Yugi’s gaze, he saw, that the teenager was blushing.

Why was socialising so hard?

 

_ Yami would want this, _ Kaiba thought stubbornly and sat down at the kitchen counter. 

The others slowly began to talk to each other again, and when they all started cooking, the tension eased up. 

Kaiba didn’t interact with anybody. He just sat in the corner of the room and managed to give Mokuba a weak smile when his little brother was looking at him. When they finished cooking, the group sat down on the big dinner table.

“Seto, you want to sit next to me?” Mokuba asked and smiled at him brightly. 

The CEO sighed. 

No. He wanted to go to bed.

 

“I always want to sit next to you.” 

His little brother grinned proudly and watched him approaching.

On Kaiba’s other side appeared Yugi, smiling at him reassuringly. 

The teenager was distributing the food evenly and Kaiba groaned, when Yugi grabbed his plate and gave him a ladleful of tomato soup.

He didn’t want to eat. 

Especially not with these idiots.

 

When Kaiba looked up, he realised annoyed, that the idiot was sitting right opposite of him.

Jou smiled at him nervously, obviously overwhelmed with the situation. 

“God, you’re so ugly.” Kaiba huffed.

The blond stared at him in disbelief.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, and you’re the smartass goodlooking one here?”

“Jou, stop.” That was Anzu.

“Yes.”, Kaiba answered and smirked at him. 

He had forgotten how funny it was to insult the fucking idiot.

“Well, then you obviously haven’t looked in the mirror these days. You look like you are dead!”

Kaiba frowned.

“Shut up.”

“When was the last time you ate something? I could beat you up so easily!” Jou continued, showing off a shit-eating grin.

“Stop!” Mokuba interrupted, but the older ones ignored him.

Kaiba snorted.

“Try me, bitch.”

“Okay… Eating contest.”

“What?”

The table went quiet.

“I challenge you, Seto Fuckface. Eating contest.”

“I’m not surprised that this is the only thing you’re able to challenge me…”

Kaiba was almost laughing.

“So you’re giving up already?”

“I haven’t said that.”

Jou and Yugi were exchanging looks Kaiba couldn’t interpret, but he didn’t care. 

“Good. Let it begin.”

 

\------------------------------------------

 

Another wave was shaking Kaiba’s body as he vomited again, holding onto the cool ceramics of the toilet. 

Yugi was behind him, one hand holding the hair out of his face, one hand stroking his back gently. 

Yugi was also snickering. 

“This isn’t funny!” Kaiba managed to mumble before he leaned over the toilet again. 

“It is a bit funny, you know.”

“How is he?” The voice of Mokuba came from the hallway. 

“FINE!” they both answered for the hundredth time already. Mokuba couldn’t deal with the smell of sick, so he had stayed outside the bathroom. 

Kaiba groaned. 

“I hate this fucking idiot.”

“Just because he won?”

“I ate more!”

“But you lost it again…”

Yugi looked at him, biting his lip, clearly suppressing a laugh.

Kaiba stared him into the ground. 

“Now go and brush your teeth.” the King of Games said and smiled.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

The evening went on. Kaiba had a great time insulting Jounouchi, enjoying his aggressive reactions almost a bit too much.

They sat together and chatted until the early morning. At some point, Mokuba fell asleep on Kaiba's lap and the CEO let him rest.

When clock hit 3 am, one after the other of the group began to get up and leave until finally everyone except Yugi was gone.

The teenager sat down next to Kaiba and smiled.

Kaiba smiled back.

"How's your stomach?"

"Fine."

"And how are you?"

Kaiba took a moment to think before he answered.

"Fine."

Yugi smiled.

"No pain?"

"Almost none, no."

"I'm glad you made it out of bed."

Kaiba chuckled.

"Well you’ve kicked me in the ass…"

"True."

A moment of pleasant silence went by, only interrupted by Mokuba's deep breaths.

"What did he say?"

"Hmm?"

"Yami." 

Kaiba swallowed.

"He won't come back."

Yugi nodded and waited for him to continue to speak.

"...and… that he saw my past. And that I have to love… and forgive myself." Kabai's voice almost broke with the last words.

"So… basically the same I've already told you?"

"Mhhm."

Yugi hesitated for a moment, before he reached out and placed a small hand on Kaiba's arm. The older one didn't flinch, but frowned.

 

"Kaiba… have you ever considered… writing a letter to your past self?"

The CEO tensed. 

"A letter?"

"Yes. I don't know what G… what this monster has done to you and you really don't have to tell me. But… I think it could help you writing a letter to the little Kaiba. To be there for him. To… forgive yourself?" 

The brunet swallowed, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"I… I don't know."

Yugi sighed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to…"

"It's okay." 

"Is it?"

"Yes. Yami… Yami probably would had told me the same."

The teenager looked away.

"Yeah. Of course."

Kaiba stared at the ceiling for a minute, before he carefully got up to carry Mokuba upstairs.

 

When he came down again, Yugi was still sitting on the couch. Sitting down next to him, Kaiba exhaled slowly.

"Hey, Mut… Yugi, that was a really good evening."

Yugi watched him with big eyes while Kaiba continued.

"...So… Thank you."

The King of Games swallowed, before he suddenly moved.

Soft lips were pressed onto Kaiba's in desperation, two small hands tugging on his shirt as Yugi straddled the CEO.

First, Kaiba tensed. But then… Closing his eyes, he began to relax, leaning into the kiss.

The image of Yami crossed his mind and his heart stopped for a second as he imagined that he was kissing him, kissing the Pharaoh, kissing- 

When Yugi's erection was pressed against his own, Kaiba immediately pushed the smaller man  aside and got up.

 

"W...what's wrong?"

The CEO was breathing heavily, running fingers through his hair, not able to speak.

He just shook his head.

Yugi's expression suddenly turned into sadness.

"You don't want me."

Kaiba swallowed and sat down next to him again.

 

"No… yes… I don't know."

The brunet looked stressed.

“I… I want you. But… not like this.”, Kaiba whispered, feeling the panic crawling up his neck.

Yugi sobbed.

“You want Yami.”

“...Yes.”

The teenager looked up, eyes red and puffy.

“What’s wrong with me? I… I turned 18, you know. It’s not like I’m a child anymore.”

Kaiba sighed.

“That’s not the reason. You’ve showed me that you’re way more mature than I am at some points. It’s just…”

The young man swallowed and tried to get rid of the lump in his throat, before he continued.

“It wouldn’t be fair. I like you. I do. But it is just as a close friend.”

Kaiba swallowed, surprised by his own words that echoed in his mind. He couldn’t remember one time he had spoken so openly about his feelings, and this fact suddenly made him feel uncomfortable.

Crossing his arms, he frowned. 

 

Why did he trust Yugi so much?

It was weird. 

The teenager let his head sink and nodded slightly. 

There was a moment of silence between them, and Kaiba searched desperately for something to say, but he couldn’t imagine one thing that would make the situation easier for the both of them. So they just sat there in the dark, lost in their own thoughts.

_ I’m sorry, Pharaoh, _ Kaiba thought, staring outside the window into the night sky. 

_ I’m sorry I hurt Yugi. _

Swallowing dryly, the CEO closed his eyes. 

 

Although they had such an emotional conversation minutes ago, Kaiba didn’t feel as bad as he should and he didn’t understand why. Maybe, because he knew he had done the right thing, maybe, because he had a feeling that Yami was very close. 

He didn’t know. 

Watching Yugi carefully, the brunet leaned forward. 

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe I should write a letter.”

The King of Games looked up, eyes wide in surprise. 

Kaiba bit his lip. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt that it was okay to do this, but he tried not to overthink the situation. Days ago, he would have laughed about such bullshit, but here, right now, it felt… somehow right. 

Yami would have wanted this.

 

Getting up, Kaiba searched for paper and a pen and sat down again, exhaling shakily. 

Yugi swallowed.

“I… I can go… if you want me to…”, the teenager began, but Kaiba shook his head. 

“No.”

They both locked eyes for a moment, ant the CEO cleared his throat nervously.

Panic was gripping his heart again. 

 

“No. I need you, Yugi.”

A big wave of embarrassment and shame hit Kaiba, but he tried to ignore the stinging voices in his mind, telling him to shut up, telling him that he didn’t need anyone, that he was Seto Kaiba.

Yugi stared at him in shock, before a little, sad smile crossed his face. He nodded. 

Curling up against Kaiba’s figure, Yugi closed his eyes.

“I’m here.”

Kaiba smiled nervously, but didn’t answer. 

He was so fucking afraid. 

 

When he opened the pen, Kaiba was almost shaking uncontrollably.

Why was he doing this?   
What was the point?

Biting his lip, the CEO exhaled slowly. 

Yami had wanted this. Yami wanted him to heal. Yami wanted him to fight. 

He didn’t know if writing a stupid letter would change anything, but he trusted Yami. And Yugi. 

He needed to heal. He needed to be there for Mokuba. 

He was Seto fucking Kaiba. 

Staring at the blank piece of paper, the young man sighed.

It needed a few more calming breaths, before he managed to hold his hand still enough to write something down. 

 

**_Dear Seto,_ **

 

Kaiba frowned. This was weird. And hard. And Overwhelming. 

 

**_As you can see, you somehow managed to grew older._ **

 

A rather big lump was rising up in Kaiba’s throat as he continued. 

 

**_I am afraid there is nothing I could say that would change anything. Or make it easier. I am afraid there is nothing I can say to you to help you. And I am sorry. I am so, so sorry._ **

 

Very slowly, a hot wave of pain gathered up in the CEO’s chest, burning him from the inside. First, it felt almost warm, but it turned into agony really quick, causing him to breathe heavily. 

 

**_I wish I could tell you that everything is okay and that you do not need to be afraid. But that would not be true. The pain, that you are feeling right now, after losing your parents, will stay. It will become your daily company. And it will grow so big, you think you will die. And you will beg to die because of all the things that will happen to you. I cannot change what the monster will do to you. I wish I could be there to protect you, I really do._ **

 

Kaiba blinked. His vision was blurry. Thick tears were dripping on the paper, turning the ink into a mess, but he didn’t care. 

The pain was consuming him entirely by now.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw Yugi watching him. A small hand was placed on his arm, pressing it reassuringly, and Kaiba swallowed. 

He could do this. 

He needed to be strong. 

He needed to heal. 

 

**_But no matter what will happen, you will be strong. You will protect your little brother and you will manage to be successful to build a life for the two of you. You will never give up. Because you are strong. You are unbreakable. And I am very, very proud of you. Without you, I never would have known what freedom would feel like. You are amazing, Seto. You are an amazing young boy and you are so, so strong. Much stronger than I am now._ **

**_Thank you. Thank you for being so strong so I can be free._ **

**_You will come to a point you think you don’t deserve anything, but that is not true. You deserve everything. Because you saved me. And Mokuba. I always thought I am guilty for being so weak and broken. But I am not. And you are not. I forgive you and I forgive myself._ **

 

The longer Kaiba had written, the calmer he suddenly became. The shaking eventually stopped and his breathing became slower. Only the tears were streaming down his cheeks without any sight of end. 

 

When Kaiba blinked, the image of Yami flickered in his mind, smiling at him proudly. 

 

**_Dear Seto, I love you._ **

 

Exhaling slowly, Kaiba felt something break inside of him. It wasn’t like the usual feeling of being broken, more like the sound of a rock falling from a cliff and bursting onto the ground. 

When the CEO inhaled again, he was surprised. 

It felt like he could breathe much more free, as if the pressure around his thorax had vanished. 

Deep in his thoughts, he blinked in confusion, when Yugi was taking his hand. 

The teenager smiled at him with tears in his eyes, before he softly brushed with his fingers over the scars on Kaiba’s forearm. Almost all of them were healed by now. 

Swallowing dryly, the brunet watched him for a minute, before he slowly got up.

“You’ve finished?” Yugi asked, smiling at him warmly. 

“Almost.”

 

\---------------------------------------

 

The sun had begun to rise when the two young man arrived at the cliff. 

Inhaling deeply, Kaiba looked at the slowly awakening city. 

Yugi stood next to him, taking the sight in with big eyes sparkling with excitement. 

“This is wonderful, Seto.”

“I know.” Kaiba smirked, before he took out the small package which he had stored in the pocket of his jacket earlier. 

Yugi tilted his head. 

“What is this?”

Kaiba turned the little package in his hand thoughtfully, before he slowly unwrapped the paper. 

“My past.”, he answered, his voice hoarse. 

The King of Games drew closer, carefully in his movements. 

When Kaiba had opened the package, they both stared at the ingredients. 

 

There was the letter Kaiba had written earlier, his small pocket knife and a picture of him and Mokuba with Gozaburo. 

“I want to sell the company.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to sell Kaiba Corporation. And use the money for building a new home for myself and Mokuba. Changing our name. A whole new life without the sign of the name ‘Kaiba’.”

Yugi placed a hand on Kaiba’s arm. 

“That sounds very, very beautiful, Seto.”

Kaiba smiled sadly.

“Just the best for Mokuba.”

 

Yugi nodded. They both stared at the package for a while again, before the CEO wrapped it up and placed it on a big stone in front of them. 

Taking one deep breath, Kaiba lit his lighter and set the package on fire, before he took some steps backwards to stand next to Yugi again. 

They both watched the flames grow bigger and the smoke rise up in the red shining morning sky. 

“Yugi?”

“Hmm?”

“How long did it take you to heal?”

The King of Games chuckled slightly.

“Far too long.”

Kaiba nodded slowly.

 

“Maybe… I will try this… counselor stuff.”

Yugi turned to the taller man, staring at him in pure surprise.

“You would?”

“Yes. Just trying.”

The teenager almost jumped into Kaiba’s arms. 

“I am so, so proud of you, although you probably don’t want to hear that!”   
Kaiba chuckled slightly. 

“I’ll just act like I didn’t hear it.”, he answered quietly, hugging the smaller body in front of him. 

 

They both stood there, enjoying each other’s company, until the sun had fully risen and the flames of the fire had went out.

When Kaiba realised, that Yugi almost fell asleep while standing on his feet, he leaned back and gave him the car keys.

“Here, go to the car. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

The smaller man rubbed his eyes and nodded slightly, before he turned away and went down the hill.

Kaiba swallowed, looking at the city again.

He didn’t know if he would make it.    
He didn’t know if he would be healed one day.

But he would try. 

Not because he was a Kaiba.

Because he was not. 

Looking at the small pile of ash, he sighed. 

“Farewell.”, Kaiba whispered, taking one last breath, before he turned around and froze in shock.

A few meters in front of him, hands in his pocket, smiling warmly, stood Yami. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I would love to hear your thoughts.  
> I want to thank every and each one of you who is there for me to help me find my way in life and help me to heal, with all the love, support and patience you have for me.  
> I can't put in words how much I love you.  
> <3
> 
> Peace, EMP


End file.
